Plagued by bloating and indigestion? We’ve gut (pun intended) you covered.
Bloating, gassiness, abdominal discomfort and indigestion are such understatement in describing the conditions that cause your stomach to bloat so much that your clothes suddenly feel tight and uncomfortable. In cyclical bloatedness, the condition often hinders the movement of the diaphragm to cause shortness of breath. Or you feel the onset of indigestion when the hearty you had moments ago is threatening to bubble up your throat? You’re not alone.
Bloating and indigestion impact us at some points in our lives. In fact, almost 1 in 7 adults go through the discomfort of the conditions on any given week.
There are many reasons that cause bloatedness, not limited to food intolerances, disruption of gut microbiome, bacterial overgrowth, stress and diet that altered our gut motility. Studies have shown that a healthy gut microbiome, with a diverse range of beneficial bacteria, can help to relieve symptoms of indigestion and bloating.
Causes of Bloating
Intestinal gas is a natural byproduct of digestion, but too much of it indicates a problem with your digestion. Despite the possibility of ingesting gasses through swallowing air or drinking carbonated beverages, these gases mostly escape through belching. Fermentation of carbohydrates by gut bacteria produces most of the gases in your intestine.
Overfermentation occurs when too much carbohydrates weren’t naturally absorbed and metablised earlier in the digestive process, before reaching gut bacteria. When carbohydrates aren’t processed and absorbed in the small intestines, they reach the large intestines and are fermented by bacteria. This can result in bloating, gas, and other digestive issues.
It may have occurred to you that your stomach bloating follows a different cycle – not the digestive cycle, but the menstrual cycle. You aren’t the only one. Three out of four women experience abdominal bloating before and during menstruation. Perimenopausal hormone fluctuations can also cause bloating.
Causes of Indigestion
Indigestion can be caused by a variety of factors
- Consumption of alcohol
- Overconsumption of alcohol
- Overconsumption of caffeine-containing beverages
- Drinking too much fizzy water or carbonated drinks
- Food
- Eating too fast or too much
- Greasy, fatty, or spicy foods
- foods that contain a lot of acid, such as tomatoes, tomato products, and oranges
- Stressed out
- Intake of nicotine
Indigestion can be caused by some medicines, such as:
- Bacteria are killed by certain antibiotics
- An anti-inflammatory drug that is nonsteroidal
Indigestion can be caused by a variety of health problems and digestive tract illnesses and conditions:
- Reflux of acid (GER and GERD)
- Anxiety and depression NIH external links
- Inflammation of the gallbladder
- Gastroenteritis
- Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection
- IBS
- An intolerance to lactose
- Peptic ulcers
What Is Gut Microbiome?
The gut microbiome is made up of millions of microorganisms in our intestines, which act as another organ that’s crucial for a healthy digestive system. These microorganisms include good and bad bacteria, and fungi amongst other microbes.
A healthy gut microbiome is vital to your digestion, immune system, and other aspects of your health. In addition to indigestion and bloating, an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy microbes in the gut can also cause weight gain, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.
How Does Gut Microbiome Cause Indigestion and Bloating?
Research has shown that the gut microbiome can influence the digestion and absorption of food by producing enzymes and other compounds to break down and metabolize nutrients. Researched evidence suggests that a healthy gut microbiome may play a beneficial role in digestion and may help to improve symptoms of indigestion. Hence, also improve the condition of a bloated stomach.
The digestive process produces gas, and bloating is as a result of a buildup of this gas.
A healthy digestive system alleviates stomach bloating as more complexed carbohydrates and proteins are properly broken down and absorbed by the body, less gas-causing gut bacteria are needed in our intestines in the biological fermentation process.
How to Improve Our Gut Microbiome?
Various strains (types) of bacteria inhabit our gut microbiome and are influenced by our daily environmental and lifestyle exposures. Probiotics, which are essential to our health and well-being, are part of this army of bacteria.
One study found that taking a probiotic supplement that contains beneficial bacteria for four weeks may bring you one step closer to the root of your indigestion and bloating symptoms.
Find out if probiotics can relieve bloating and indigestion. And what is the best probiotic to relieve the symptoms of bloating and indigestion?
G-NiiB “Immunity+”
G-NiiB Immunity+, the formula is a microbiome precision formula developed by a world-renowned centre of micorbiome in Hong Kong. The product is designed for the Asian gut microbiome environment and contains naturally occurring bacterial species known to colonise the intestine. This unique formula is proven beneficial to resolve gut dysbiosis and restore immunity. Precise 3+3 bifidobacteria and prebiotics formula, enhances good bacteria viability. Probiotics and patented microencapsulation technology from Italy, ensures live probiotics colonising in the gut.
Developed for Asians
Formula is based on data from over 10,000 Asians in a proprietary database and over 1,400 next-generation metagenomic sequencing results. In the G-NiiB Immunity formula, naturally occurring food-grade bacteria strains that correlate with Asian health were selected via sophisticated Al learning algorithm
This data was then used to construct a formula that is specifically tailored to the dietary and nutritional needs of the Asian population. The Al learning algorithm was used to identify the bacteria strains that are beneficial for Asian health and to create a formulation that is tailored to the specific needs of the Asian population, including relieving bloating and indigestion.
Golden 3+3 Microbiome Immunity Formula
Bifidobacterium is known to be one of the most important bacteria in the human gut and its presence is essential to maintaining a healthy digestive system. The prebiotics in G-NiB Immunity+ provide food for the Bifidobacterium to help them to grow and multiply, thus providing the body with a stronger, more balanced gut microbiome.
G-NiB Immunity+ consists of 3 live Bifidobacterium and 3 prebiotics that are scientifically curated and mixed in a patent ratio to bring a synergetic effect to optimise product efficacy.
Patented Microencapsulation Technology
Live bacteria in G-NiB Immunity are microencapsulated with patented technology from Italy to ensure survival through gastric acid and bile salt in the gastrointestinal tract to reach the intestine, where the live bacteria will be released, for effective gut colonisation. This is important because the bacteria in the probiotic supplement must survive the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract in order to reach the intestine and effectively colonise it. By microencapsulating the bacteria in a protective coating, their survival rate increases significantly.
As probiotics work differently for each person depending on their state of health, the composition of their gut, and the strains they use, the length of time it takes to work varies by the individual.
Reference:
Oliphant, K., Allen-Vercoe, E. Macronutrient metabolism by the human gut microbiome: major fermentation by-products and their impact on host health. Microbiome 7, 91 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-019-0704-8
Martin, A. M., Sun, E. W., Rogers, G. B., & Keating, D. J. (2019). The Influence of the Gut Microbiome on Host Metabolism Through the Regulation of Gut Hormone Release. Frontiers in physiology, 10, 428. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00428